CPR Acquis for kits and building elements

The European Commission DG GROW has published an open tender (EC-GROW/2026/OP/0015) to provide technical and administrative support to the CPR Acquis process, with a primary focus on Sub-Group 34 covering building kits, units and prefabricated elements. The contract is a direct service procurement with an estimated total value of €370,000 and a maximum duration of 18 months, requiring around 370 expert-days. Tenders are submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 22 April 2026 and will be evaluated on a best price-quality ratio with weighting Price 35% and Quality 65%. Key requirements include demonstration of economic and technical capacity, declaration on honour, and compliance with Commission security and IP conditions.

What it funds

Technical and administrative support to the Commission for the CPR Acquis process in selected Sub-Groups (primary focus on Sub-Group 34: buildings kits, units and prefabricated elements). Tasks include technical review of draft harmonised technical specifications, drafting inputs, supporting Chairs, preparing meeting documents and reporting.

Who can apply

Open to economic operators (natural or legal persons), including consultants, SMEs and consortia. Submission is electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; participants must be registered and use a Participant Identification Code (PIC). Joint tenders and subcontracting are permitted under the rules in the tender specifications.

Estimated contract value:€370,000 (minimum staffing estimate: ~370 expert-days). Maximum duration up to 18 months; award on the best price-quality ratio ¹.

Key practical facts

1. 1Procurement type: open procedure, direct service contract for services (CPV: 71621000 technical analysis/consultancy).
2. 2Main deliverables: interim and final technical and financial reports; written technical inputs; meeting participation (kick-off + two in-person Commission meetings and other virtual/in-person meetings as indicated).
3. 3Award weighting: price 35%, quality 65% (methodology, implementation and project management).
4. 4Estimated minimum input offered in the tender documents: 370 expert-days (use Annex 6 financial template for pricing).

Eligibility and selection highlights

Selection requires demonstration of economic/financial capacity (average turnover threshold) and technical capacity: experts with relevant university degree and experience in assessment or development of technical specifications for construction products, management experience of expert groups/work programmes, and strong English drafting skills.

Deadlines and milestones

Submissions must be uploaded exclusively via the eSubmission system on the Funding & Tenders Portal; follow the Invitation to Tender and Tender Specifications for required annexes, declarations and templates. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents, annexes and submission interface are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: F&T Portal opportunity page.

The European Commission, DG GROW — Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, invites tenders for a direct service contract to provide mainly technical support to the CPR Acquis Process. The contract focuses on selected Sub-Groups for construction products, with an emphasis on Sub-Group 34 covering buildings kits, units and prefabricated elements, to ensure high technical quality in future harmonised technical specifications under the Construction Products Regulation (CPR).

Official opportunity page:EU Funding & Tenders Portal: CPR Acquis for kits and building elements Tender page

Contracting authority:European Commission, DG GROW — Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW H.1 Construction), Avenue d'Auderghem 45, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium

Scope and objectives

The contractor will provide technical and administrative support to the CPR Acquis Expert Group Sub-Groups, primarily Sub-Group 34 (buildings kits, units, prefabricated elements), and other selected groups. The goal is to underpin the development of high-quality harmonised technical specifications, including harmonised standards and related instruments, aligned to Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 and the Commission’s CPR work programme for 2026–2029.

Work content and tasks

• Technical support to Sub-Groups (emphasis on Sub-Group 34): support the Commission/Chair to develop Sub-Group work programmes; collect, analyse and integrate expert contributions; prepare technical documents for meetings; suggest improvements; flag needs for guidance or cross-links with other specifications; and monitor implementation consistency with CPR Acquis guidance.
• Administrative support to Sub-Groups: prepare meeting documentation (reports, minutes); organise and potentially chair ad hoc meetings on behalf of the Commission/Chair; undertake actions to execute work programme tasks; prepare supporting documents for consultations; draft outcomes.
• Examination and analysis of draft harmonised technical specifications upon request: review technical content to avoid errors and incoherence; scrutinise scope, intended uses, essential characteristics, assessment methods, product requirements; check references to national/European/international technical specs to avoid duplication and contradictions; detect inconsistencies and overlaps/gaps; identify classes and/or threshold levels; verify references to and correct implementation of Commission legal acts defining assessment and verification systems (AVS); highlight potential problems such as exclusion of existing market products, access limitations, disproportionate costs or non-cost-effective testing; inform the Commission on problems related to harmonised technical specifications and the CPR and propose solutions; contribute to the technical content development of harmonised technical specifications.

Estimated minimum effort is 370 expert-days over the contract duration, including meeting participation and core tasks. Coordination with other consultants operating in adjacent Sub-Groups is required to ensure consistency across the Acquis process and to leverage cross-group solutions.

Deliverables, meetings and reporting

• Participation in one kick-off meeting and two subsequent meetings at European Commission premises in Brussels.
• Up to 20 one-day in-person meetings per year (mostly Brussels; others within the EU), with many meetings expected to be virtual; additional non-predetermined virtual meetings.
• Interim technical and financial report No. 1 at month 6 (draft at month 5); interim payment 30% upon adoption.
• Interim technical and financial report No. 2 at month 12 (draft at month 11); interim payment 30% upon adoption.
• Final technical and financial report at month 18; balance payment 40% upon adoption.
• Minutes of the kick-off meeting to be submitted for approval one week after the meeting.

Key parameters and procurement details

Quality and price evaluation

• Weighting: Price 35%; Quality 65%.
• Quality criteria and points (total 100): methodology for organising and preparing tasks (30); methodology for carrying out tasks (50); project management including risk assessment and mitigation (20).
• Exclusion thresholds: less than 65% overall, or less than 50% on any single quality criterion, leads to exclusion.

Selection and exclusion criteria

• Exclusion criteria: as per Article 138(1) of the Financial Regulation; documentary evidence required (judicial records, tax and social certificates, etc.). Declaration on Honour must be submitted with the tender.
• Economic/financial capacity (F1): average annual turnover over the last two financial years of at least €250,000; evidence typically profit and loss accounts for the last two closed years (most recent within last 18 months) or bank statements.
• Technical/professional capacity: T1 — at least one expert with a university degree in civil engineering or similar and minimum 5 years of professional experience in assessment, verification or development of harmonised technical specifications of construction products; T2 — at least one expert with minimum 2 years of experience managing working groups/experts or implementing technical work programmes or operating grants; proficiency with Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 and virtual meeting tools; T3 — at least one expert with C1 English level (CEFR) able to draft assessments/feedback/reports on construction products. Evidence: Europass CVs specifying roles and contractual links.

Compliance and security requirements

• Tenders must comply with minimum requirements in the tender specifications, and applicable data protection, environmental, social and labour law obligations.
• Security: compliance with Commission security requirements; possible background checks and security advice for personnel accessing Commission premises or systems; incident notification within 48 hours; EU hosting requirements for Commission use and sensitive non-classified information; adherence to Commission Security Baseline for External Connections when remote access is needed.
• Intellectual property: Union ownership of results and licensing terms for pre-existing rights as per contract conditions.
• Fraud prevention and checks/audits: OLAF, Court of Auditors, EPPO rights of access and audits up to 5 years after balance payment.

Timeline and submission

Submission is exclusively via eSubmission. Each tenderer and each group member must register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC. Only one tender per tenderer is considered; the latest version prevails if multiple are submitted before the deadline. Late tenders are rejected. Variants are not allowed.

Opening session attendance:Up to two representatives per tender may attend the virtual opening by emailing grow-procurement@ec.europa.eu at least three hours before the session, providing names, emails, tenderer name and the eSubmission receipt.

Contract management and payments

• Contract type: Direct service contract; all terms set at signature.
• Payments: 30% after adoption of interim report 1; 30% after adoption of interim report 2; 40% after adoption of the final report. Standard 60-day payment period after invoice and approval; VAT exemptions apply.
• No pre-financing; no reimbursement of tender preparation costs; no retention or performance guarantees required; price revision not applicable.
• Place of performance: contractor’s premises and meeting venues indicated by the Commission (primarily Brussels, EU locations); many meetings may be virtual.

Documents and templates

• Invitation to tender (procedural and submission instructions).
• Tender Specifications: scope, tasks, deliverables, selection and award criteria, form and content of tender.
• Declaration on Honour (exclusion, selection, restrictive measures, independence of tender).
• Financial Tender Form (Annex 6).
• Draft Service Contract (Special/General Conditions, IPR, security, data protection, payments).
• VAT Annex (group members’ shares for VAT purposes, if joint tender).
• IPR Annex: Declaration on pre-existing rights.
• Security Requirements Appendix (including Ethics Reminder for service providers).

Application form structure (recommended outline based on annexes and portal fields)

1. 1Administrative identification: PIC, legal name, address, legal form, VAT; upload authorisation to sign.
2. 2Consortium arrangements (if applicable): Agreement/Power of Attorney naming the group leader, roles and tasks of members.
3. 3Subcontracting: List identified subcontractors, roles, proportion of subcontracting; include commitment letters for identified subcontractors and for capacity providers (if not subcontractors).
4. 4Exclusion and selection: Signed Declaration on Honour for each involved entity; prepare supporting evidence (judicial records; tax and social security certificates; turnover evidence; CVs).
5. 5Technical offer: Methodology for organising and preparing tasks; methodology for carrying out tasks; project management including risks and mitigation; resourcing plan covering at least 370 expert-days; approach for coordination with other Sub-Groups; quality assurance; meeting and reporting plan; compliance with security and data protection.
6. 6Team and CVs: Europass CVs demonstrating T1, T2, T3; clear roles and contractual links; English proficiency self-assessed CEFR level.
7. 7Financial offer: Completed Financial Tender Form (Annex 6) with daily rates by staff category, estimated person-days per role, subtotal HR, other costs (if any), total price (VAT exempt).
8. 8Signatures: Preferably Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) for all required documents.

Targeted technical areas and expected expertise

• Construction product families per Annex VII of Regulation (EU) 2024/3110, with priority on buildings kits, units and prefabricated elements.
• Harmonised technical specifications: structure, scopes, essential characteristics, test/assessment methods, classes/thresholds, product information requirements.
• Assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance (AVS/AVCP) systems and alignment with Commission legal acts.
• Standardisation processes, coherence across national, European and international standards; elimination of contradictions and duplications.
• Market access and Single Market considerations: avoiding exclusion of existing products, proportionality of testing, cost-effectiveness of methods.
• Work programme design and execution for Sub-Groups under the CPR Working Plan 2026–2029.

Categorisation and structured extraction

Eligible Applicant Types:Economic operators as defined by EU procurement rules, including but not limited to: SMEs, large enterprises, consulting/engineering firms, standards and conformity assessment consultancies, universities and research institutes, nonprofits and NGOs with relevant technical capacity, and public or semi-public organisations. Individuals can participate if meeting capacity requirements, but the scope favors organisations with demonstrable track record and capacity.

Funding Type:Procurement — service contract. The beneficiary delivers services and is paid under contract terms; this is not a grant.

Consortium Requirement:Single tenderer or joint tender (consortium) is permitted. Joint tenders must appoint a group leader and assume joint and several liability. Subcontracting is allowed.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Open to all natural and legal persons within the scope of the EU Treaties and international organisations; also open to entities from third countries with an EU procurement agreement and GPA signatories, subject to rules on access and EU restrictive measures. Participation requires registration in the EU Participant Register (PIC).

Target Sector:Buildings and construction products; standards and technical specifications; Single Market compliance; industrial policy. Cross-cuts environment and market surveillance through performance assessment methods and AVS systems.

Mentioned Countries:Belgium (Brussels for meetings and contracting authority location). European Union (meetings within the EU). GPA and eligible third countries per access rules.

Project Stage:Implementation and technical consultancy. Focus on development, validation and quality assurance of harmonised technical specifications rather than primary research or product development.

Funding Amount:Estimated total contract value €370,000 for up to 18 months. Payments tied to report approvals: 30% + 30% + 40%.

Application Type:Open call for tenders; electronic submission only via eSubmission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Nature of Support:Monetary payments for contracted services, VAT-exempt under EU rules. No non-monetary services are provided by the buyer to the contractor.

Application Stages:Single-stage submission and evaluation under an open procedure, followed by contract award.

Success Rates:Not disclosed. No historical success probability or number of expected awards is provided.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding. This is a fee-for-service procurement. Contractors bear their own costs for proposal preparation and compliance with security and administrative requirements.

Submission essentials and compliance tips

• Register and verify PICs for all involved entities; ensure SME status is up to date where relevant.
• Prepare and sign Declarations on Honour for all involved entities; gather exclusion evidence in advance (valid within one year).
• Demonstrate economic capacity (turnover threshold) and provide clear evidence of T1–T3 capacity through Europass CVs and defined roles.
• Build a coherent technical methodology addressing Sub-Group management, content development, AVS alignment, cross-group consistency, risk management and quality assurance.
• Allocate at least 370 expert-days with a balanced senior/junior mix; show availability for up to 20 in-person meetings per year plus virtual sessions.
• Use the Financial Tender Form to provide transparent daily rates and day allocations; quote in EUR and net of VAT.
• Observe security and data protection clauses, including possible security advice for personnel accessing Commission premises/IT.

Access to procurement documents

• Invitation to tender (EN) — procedural rules and contacts.
• Tender Specifications — EC-GROW/2026/OP/00015 Technical assistance for the CPR Acquis for kits and building elements.
• Declaration on Honour — exclusion and selection criteria.
• Annex 6 Financial Tender Form — pricing template.
• Draft Direct Service Contract — conditions of December 2024, including Special and General Conditions.
• Annex 3 VAT form for group members.
• Annex 4 IPR — Declaration on list of pre-existing rights.
• Appendix 1 Security requirements for Commission’s contractors.

Summary and explanation

This procurement seeks an experienced technical partner to support the European Commission in shaping and quality-assuring the harmonised technical specifications that underpin the EU Single Market for construction products. The work spans designing and implementing Sub-Group work programmes; drafting and reviewing the technical content of harmonised specifications; ensuring coherence with existing standards; setting appropriate classes and thresholds; aligning with Commission legal acts on AVS; and preventing unintended market barriers or disproportionate compliance costs. The focal point is Sub-Group 34 on buildings kits, units and prefabricated elements, while ensuring coordination with other CPR Acquis Sub-Groups to deliver consistent, future-ready outputs. The contract, estimated at €370,000 over up to 18 months, pays against adopted interim and final reports. Tenders are evaluated on best price-quality ratio, with strong emphasis on methodology and project management. Eligible economic operators from the EU and permitted countries should demonstrate robust capacity in standards development and construction product technical specification, group facilitation, and excellent written English. Submission is electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 22 April 2026, with a public virtual opening on 24 April 2026.

Opportunity Overview

This is an open procedure call for tenders to provide mainly technical support for the CPR (Construction Products Regulation) Acquis process, focusing on Sub-Group 34 for building kits, units, and prefabricated elements, and other selected Sub-Groups. The objective is to ensure high technical quality for future harmonised technical specifications under Regulation (EU) 2024/3110.

Contracting authority:European Commission, DG GROW - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. Procedure type: Open procedure. Nature: Services (CPV 71621000 - Technical analysis or consultancy services). TED reference: 52/2026 180328-2026.

Key Dates and Milestones

• TED publication date: 16 March 2026
• Deadline for questions: 14 April 2026 23:59 Europe/Brussels
• Deadline for receipt of tenders: 22 April 2026 18:00 Europe/Brussels
• Public opening: 24 April 2026 10:00 Europe/Brussels

Financial Details

Estimated total value:€370,000.

Maximum contract duration:18 months.

Award method:Best price-quality ratio (Price 35%, Quality 65%).

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Open to all natural and legal persons within the scope of the EU Treaties, international organisations, and entities from third countries with relevant agreements or GPA signatories. No lots. Joint tenders and subcontracting permitted. Registration in Participant Register required for PIC.

Exclusion Criteria

Tenderers must not be in exclusion situations per Article 138 Financial Regulation (bankruptcy, tax/social security breaches, grave misconduct, fraud, etc.). Declaration on Honour required (Annex 2). Supporting evidence mandatory with tender.

Selection Criteria

• Economic/financial: Average turnover last 2 years >= €250,000 (consolidated). Evidence: Profit/loss accounts.
• Technical/professional T1: 1 expert with civil engineering degree + 5 years in harmonised specs for construction products.
• T2: 1 expert with 2 years managing expert groups/work programmes + MS Teams/365 proficiency.
• T3: 1 expert with C1 English (CEFR). Evidence: Europass CVs.

No restrictive measures. No professional conflicting interests. Evidence may be requested later.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

Technical/administrative support for Sub-Groups (focus Sub-Group 34:building kits/units/prefabricated elements). Tasks: Develop work programmes, collect/analyse inputs, prepare documents, monitor implementation, examine draft specs for coherence/errors/overlaps.

Estimated 370 expert-days. Coordination with other consultants essential. Place:Contractor premises + meetings (up to 20 in-person/year, mostly Brussels; virtual others).

Key Deliverables and Payments

Submission Requirements

Electronic via eSubmission on F&T Portal. Required docs:Declaration on Honour, authorisations, technical/financial tenders (Annex 6: staff daily rates x man-days), etc. (see Annex 1). English authentic; tenders in any EU language. Max 200 files, <50MB each.

Tender portal:EU Funding & Tenders Portal

Evaluation and Award

Compliance check, exclusion, selection, then award:Price 35%, Quality 65% (Methodology organisation 30pts, execution 50pts, management/risk 20pts). Min 65% overall, 50% per criterion.

Contractual Conditions

• Direct service contract. Payments: 2x30% interim + 40% balance on reports.
• IP: Union owns results; pre-existing rights licensed royalty-free.
• Security: Comply with Commission rules; no EU classified info.
• Data protection: EU/EEA only; notify breaches in 48h.
• Termination: Convenience (3 months notice); other grounds per FR.
• Governing law: EU/Belgian; disputes Brussels courts.

Key Documents Available

• Invitation to Tender
• Tender Specifications (Annex I)
• Declaration on Honour (Annex 2)
• Financial Form (Annex 6)
• Draft Contract (Annex II)

All documents downloadable from F&T Portal. No framework agreement.

Background Context

Part of CPR Acquis process under revised CPR (EU 2024/3110, appl. 8 Jan 2026). Supports CPR Expert Group/Sub-Groups for harmonised specs by 2030. First Working Plan 2026-2029 published Dec 2025. Focus: Kits/building elements per Annex VII.

Applicants should review CPR Working Plan 2026-2029 and priority lists for alignment. CPR Acquis Priority Setting¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Priority setting circulated 26 March 2025 to CPR Acquis Expert Group.